- About JANNET
By Ryosuke Matsui, JANNET Chair
According to the United Nations it is estimated that the number of persons with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region is around 400 million, and that the majority of them live in the developing countries, and most of them have still been suffering from lack of access to education, employment as well as lack of opportunities to participate in other socio-economic activities. As a result they account for nearly 20% of the poorest population in the region.
Based on such identified needs for further action to improve the existing situations of persons with disabilities especially in developing countries, UNESCAP, at its fifty-eighth Commission session held in May 2002, proclaimed the extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993 - 2002) for another decade (2003 - 2012) to realize an "inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society" for people with disabilities in the region.
And it also adopted at High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons held in Otsu City, Japan in October 2002, "Biwako Millennium Framework (BMF) for Action" that provides regional policy recommendations for action by Governments in the region and concerned stakeholders to achieve such a society for persons with disabilities in the new decade.
BMF identified the following seven areas for priority action to be taken to achieve the objectives of the new decade; (a) self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations; (b) women with disabilities; (c) early detection, early intervention and education; (d) training and employment, including self-employment; (e) access to built environment and public transport; (f) access to information and communications, including information, communication and assistive technologies; (g) poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programmes.
So far in developing countries where governments have not given priority to disability issues, NGOs have been playing a leading role in the disability field. This is why we think it is more practical and effective to support the efforts of the non-governmental sector in these countries to improve the situations of people with disabilities. However, what is more important is that the cooperation and exchange activities of relevant Japanese NGOs should not be one-sided, but should aim at mutual sharing and working together with NGOs in the developing countries as equal partners.
The Japan NGO Network on Disabilities (JANNET), which was established in December 1993 by disability-related NGOs in Japan, has been conducting relevant study and training activities on a regular basis, taking into consideration the BMF's priority areas for action. It aims at strengthening cooperation and collaboration among these organizations with respect to their originality and characteristics, through sharing mutual experiences and information, so as to more effectively promote their cooperation and exchange programs, which would adequately meet the social, cultural and other daily living situations as well as the needs of persons with disabilities in developing countries in the Asian and Pacific region as well as other regions.